Ascent Trip Report

Odakota Mountain's main claim to fame is that it is the 2nd most prominent peak in the state of SD. It is not a county HP, county prom point (being in the same county as Harney Peak, the state HP and PP), or park HP. It is on Andy Martin's "second lap" list.

On US-16/385 about 3¼ miles N of Custer, I turned W on Medicine Mtn Rd (AKA CR-297), which is well-graded gravel. The turnoff is across the highway from Heritage Village, an Indian store. Call this point mile 0.0. At mile 0.7 I veered slightly R where Custer Limestone Rd (AKA CR-284) goes L. At mile 3.6 I stayed straight where Saginaw Rd (AKA CR-285) goes L. At mile 7.3 I stayed straight where a FS sign says Boy Scout Camp is 2 miles L. At 8.3 miles the road goes through a narrow corridor with an electric fence on the L and corrals on the R. At 8.9 miles I stayed straight on Medicine Mtn Rd where Reno Gulch Rd (AKA FR-303) goes R. At 12.6 miles I turned L on Six Mile Rd (AKA FR-301). At 14.2 miles I stayed straight at a junction where Boy Scout Camp is 3 miles L. At 14.9 miles I reached a staggered 4-way junction at a saddle where I turned L on FR-693. The road follows a different path than the one shown on the USGS 24K topo map, but it ultimately reaches the same point of interest at 15.4 miles: the ~7090' saddle that lies ¼ mile W of the summit of Odakota Mtn. All roads are easily navigable by any street-legal vehicle, except that a vehicle without high clearance may have trouble on FR-693.

I hiked toward the summit on the remains of a grass road that eventually fades as it heads up what passes for a ridge. Total hiking time to the summit is barely 10 minutes.

I departed the area by a different route, ending up at Hill City. An approach via this route would be preferred for a person arriving from the N. The directions for this route would be as follows. From the Exxon on US-16/385 in Hill City, turn W on Deerfield Rd. Call this point mile 0.0. At 5.3 miles, turn L to remain on Deerfield Rd (AKA FR-17) where Mystic Rd goes straight ahead. At 8.6 miles, turn L on East Slate Rd (AKA CR-7309), which is well-graded gravel. At 12.8 miles, turn L on Medicine Mtn Rd. At 14.0 miles, turn R on Six Mile Rd and follow the directions above, beginning at mile 12.6.